Gem and the Wolf
by CRYSTAL2324
Summary: Kiba & Akamaru are given a mission to capture a girl and her wolf that are stealing in a nearby village. But once they all meet, the reason why the two are stealing is found out.
1. Prologue 1

Gem & the Wolf: Prologue 1

"Momma?" a young girl looked at her mother with nervous and confused eyes.

"Crystal, run. Go hide, run away, do anything to go away. Those two men are not safe. Just go, NOW!" the little 7 year old girl, Crystal, obeyed her mother and ran away. Although, she didn't run far, she just hid in the bushes so she could see what would happen.

Two grunts trapped Crystal's mother in a dark alley. Each had a knife in one hand and a gun in the other. One of the grunts asked the mother, "Alright, where's ya daughter, sweetheart?"

The mother remained calm, even though the guns were pointed right at her, "I do not have a daughter. Now, I will give you my money, just let me leave."

The 2nd grunt just frowned and took a step forward. "We know that you have a daughter. I would hate to shoot such a pretty face, so unless you want to be disfigured, then I suggest that you tells where your daughter is! Now!"

The 1st grunt punched his partner's shoulder, "Shut it! We can't let anyone hear us. We got orders to kill a woman, not a woman and a girl. Besides, even if she has a daughter, it will be the bosses fault for not saying to kill a little girl, too." The two grunts jumped the mother and attacked her. The mother fought hard and great, and was able to get the grunts away. Unfortunately, she wasn't paying attention to what was behind her.

"AAHH!" the mother was impaled with a knife, blood was already pouring out.  
>"<em><strong>GASP<strong>_ MOMMA!" Crystal came running out of her hiding spot and went to her mother's side.

Grunt #2 gave a little chuckle, "Looks like we found the brat. Come on, let's get this over with so we can go back to the boss and get some rest." The two grunts got closer to Crystal.

"Crystal," the mother whispered weakly, "look away."

Crystal did. A second later she heard two little screams and two loud thuds. When she looked back, the two grunts were on the ground. Dead.

The mother, with her last bits of energy, hugged her daughter and muttered, "Crystal, these two men are bad. They did this to me, to us, because of what our chakra power is. Just because our chakra is like this doesn't mean that we are bad, and it doesn't mean that we are different. But, even though it is a gift, you must promise me that you will never tell anyone what it is. You can never tell anyone, no matter how close they become to you. And you must never use it again. No matter what the situation is, you must never use. You are strong, fast, and smart. You will find a replacement for your chakra. You can't ever use again, or tell anyone of it, or else you or they could be in danger. It is for yours and their safety. But, remember why you have, and your ancestry with it. And most importantly, remember me. I will always watch over you, protect, and be with you, my child. I love you, Crystal. Be strong. without. me."

With tears in her eyes, Crystal nodded to her dying mother. Crystal felt her mother's pulse, and couldn't feel anything. "I promise, momma. I will not break this promise. I will make you proud, an even though you will watch, protect, and be with me, I will miss you. I love you, momma."

Crystal went back to her father and in between her sobs, she told him everything that had happened. He quickly went to collect his wife's body. The next day he buried it in the mother's garden.


	2. Prologue 2

Gem & the Wolf: Prologue 2

Several months went by and Crystal's life was never the same. She didn't go outside that often, she didn't sing with the same spirit that she used to (yes she can sing), and she just wasn't getting along with her father.

The father didn't have the same chakra power that his wife or daughter had, so even when his wife was alive, the father never really interacted with Crystal. He did talk with Crystal, but those were conversations that were only 2-3 sentences long in total. But now that the mother was dead, the father didn't even look at his daughter without having eyes that filled only with disgust, sorrow, disappointment, remorse, or anger. After every time she saw these eyes, Crystal felt even more guilty about what happened to her mother. She even started to have thoughts on suicide. She had a plan for an attempt and told herself that she was going to do it. However, the night before she was going to commit it, she had a dream. It was where her mother was holding her, saying that it was all right, that it wasn't her fault. The mother even sang Crystal's favorite song. Right before Crystal woke up, her mother said to her in an angelic voice, _Don't do it. You will find happiness. I love you, my child. I miss you deeply, but you cannot return to me just yet. You must be patient._ And with that, Crystal waited.

A year later, Crystal's father brought her to a new village. She thought that she was going to live here with her father and start a new life. She was wrong.

When they got to the village it was very dark. Crystal became nervous but she didn't want to question her father for she feared that he might get angry.

The father then brought Crystal deep into the forest that was about a half a mile away from the village. Crystal sat on a rock, for it was a long walk. Out of the corner of her right eye, she saw her father turning around, about to leave. Crystal was a little worried so she followed him.

After hearing several steps, the father turned around to see his daughter looking up at him.

"Papa, where are you going?" she asked.

The father just frowned. "I am trying to get away from you. Stay here and don't attempt to follow me." And he walked a few more steps away.

Crystal was still curious and followed him again. He turned around, clearly a little more angry.

"Papa," Crystal's voice was a little shaky, "y-you are j-j-joking, r-right? I m-mean, I-I'm your o-only d-daughter. M-Momma wo…"

Crystal was cut off by something sharp cutting a line over her right eye. She was thrown back a few feet. When she sat up, she felt over her right eye and felt blood coming out of a slightly deep slash. Lucky for her, the thing that cut her just missed her actual eye, but it did slash a straight line across her eye (across as in up & down, sort of like the scar that Scar from Lion King had but less thick and slightly longer). When she looked up she saw that her father was enraged, and that he had a whip in his hand. The tip of the whip had fresh blood dripping off the tip. **HE** was the one to cut her.

In a loud and furious voice, he said to his daughter, "Don't you dare speak of your mother! You are the reason she is dead! You should be the one dead, not her! You are a weak, stupid, ugly little girl. You are a mistake and you should have never been born. You are selfish for not saving your mother's life and keeping your own. Whenever I look at you, I see a freak, whenever I see you I see a worthless brat. I am abandoning you because I do not want the person who could've helped my wife, your mother, and save her. No one will ever love you, no one will ever care about you, and no one will ever want to be your friend. I am going and when I leave you better not follow. Do you understand?"

Crystal was horrified. Tears were building up. She couldn't even tell if they were because of the pain that the whip gave her, because she was being abandoned, or the fact that her father was lying about it being her fault that her mother was dead. She knew that he might be right about no one loving or caring about her in the future, but she also knew that it wasn't her fault that her mother was dead. But, all she could do was give a tiny nod to her father.

The father, happy with the result, turned around and walked away. Leaving his 8 year-old daughter to survive be herself.


	3. Prologue 3

Gem and the Wolf: Prologue 3

After she finally stopped crying, Crystal tended to her cut. Since she couldn't use her chakra to heal it, Crystal had to tend it the old fashion way. She ripped a portion of clothe from her shirt. She decided to look around the forest to see if there were any rivers so she could clean the cut.

After a couple of minutes, Crystal found a river. Lucky for her, the cut stopped bleeding. The type of cut that she gotten was what she and her mother called a dry slash. It was where even though a cut might have been big, deep, and painful, it wouldn't bleed much. Although, Crystal wouldn't be surprised if it still left a scar.

After cleaning the wound, she placed the clothe tightly around her upper right head section. Blood was starting to slightly stain the already damp cloth, but Crystal didn't have time to worry about that. It was getting dark, and it was the middle of Fall. The night would be cold so she had to find shelter.

She started searching around the forest again to see if she could find a cave. She did have an option of going to the village and someone taking pity for her, but after what happened with her mother & father, she didn't want to get hurt again. Plus, if she did start being cared for, she didn't want to let them get hurt.

After a couple of hours, she found an enormous cave. She wanted to explore the cave a little more than just a little peak, but she was exhausted. Right when she put her head on the softest part of ground that she could find, she fell asleep.

When she woke up, the sun was up. She decided to explore the forest and see if she could find anything to eat.

When she got down to ground level (the cave was located on a small hill) she got a stick and sharpened it. After walking a little she found some apples. They were pretty high up so she used her little spear to get them. She got a direct target. The spear was still in the tree, but was about 3½ feet lower. Crystal climbed the tree in and down in just 7 seconds! She examined the spear and saw that she caught 5 apples.

Crystal gulped down 1 and was about to eat another when she heard a small whimper. It sounded like a baby, but not human. More like, an animal.

Crystal, not being able to resist a whimper, investigated. When she pushed a side two bushes, she found a tiny black & white female wolf. Judging by her size, she seemed about 4 months old. Her left front paw was slightly lifted. Crystal saw that it had huge thorns in it.

"Hey, little girl. Ya need help?" Crystal asked sympathetically.

The wolf was startled, stepped back, and gave a little growl.

Crystal also took a step back and put her spear down, "It's okay, I ain't going to hurt ya. Here let me see that paw, I could get those thorns out if ya want."

The little wolf seemed to understand Crystal, for she stopped growling and took several steps closer to her. When she was right in front of Crystal, she lifted her paw higher and gave a little whimper.

"Alright, now this might pinch just slightly…" Crystal took out the thorns one by one. The wolf gave little winces at each one, but besides the winces she didn't feel any pain. When all of the thorns were out, Crystal tore out more of the clothe of her shirt and wrapped it around the wolf's paw.

"There! That help?" Crystal asked happily. The little wolf smiled and wagged its tail. _Ruff, ruff_. "_Giggle_ I'll take that as a yes." Crystal then took out two of her apples and offered them to the wolf. "Here," she started, "I know you're a carnivore and everything, but ya look like ya haven't eaten anything in a while."

The little wolf happily took the two apples. Crystal was amazed by how fast a little fluff-ball could eat two apples. When the wolf was done, Crystal stood up and said good-bye to her little friend.

As she was walking, Crystal heard little footsteps following her. She turned around and saw the little wolf following her.

"What's wrong?" she asked while kneeling down. The little wolf rubbed up against Crystal's leg and whimpered. "Do ya want to come with me and live with me? Cuz I live in this forest in a huge cave, and I would be more than happy to have company!"

The little wolf jumped into Crystal's arms and licked her face.

"Okay, you're coming with me and that's final. Maybe ya can teach me how to hunt. Can ya do that for me?" The little wolf smiled, _Arf arf_!

"Great! Now ya need a name don't ya? Hmm, how about Nasha? Ya like that?" The little wolf, Nasha, licked Crystal's face repeatedly as a sign of agreement.

"Okay, okay! From now on, you will be known as Nasha! You will teach me how to hunt and survive, and I will let you live with me. We will care for each other like a sister would do for a sister." Nasha sat up straight and gave a little salute, "Hehe, you are a weird little puppy."


	4. Mission

Gem and the Wolf: The Mission

Kiba & Akamaru were called by the hokage. The messenger that was sent to get them told them that Tsunade was going to give him a mission.

Kiba saw that only he and Akamaru were the ones being assigned the mission "What exactly is this mission? And if only we are to do it, will it be boring?"

"It isn't exactly easy, but it shouldn't be too hard either. There is a girl that has been stealing from the village called Aki (it isn't a real Naruto village, I made it up). She has been stealing food, clothes, and jewelry for about a year and 5 months. Even though it is just stealing, any person that has tried to get her and put her in jail has returned with severe injuries. I thought that you might be able to level her speed and ways of fighting."

"What do you mean by 'ways of fighting'?"

"What I mean is that she fights with a canine like you. A female wolf, however. She is extremely strong, fast, and cunning. Here," Tsunade handed Kiba a little packet, "these papers will give you more information on where she can be found, what she looks like, and what she does while fighting. Your mission is to get the person stealing all of the village's things. That is all."

Kiba gave a little groan. He was hoping for something a little more exciting. Although, the thought of a girl fighting with an animal like him was pretty surprising. Kiba decided to get something to eat and get some supplies before leaving.

When he got to the ramen place and sat down Choji, Shikamaru, and Naruto went over to him and they started talking.

Shikamaru: "Hey Kiba. We heard you got a little mission."

Kiba: "Yeah I did. But I don't think that it will be that exciting."

Choji: "You sure? I heard that the last guys that tried to get her were in the hospital for 4 months. 2 of them had 4 broken fingers, 2 had a broken ankle, and the 3 of them had a couple broken ribs."

Kiba: "Hmph. Still, I wish it were more exciting."

Naruto: "Do you have a picture of her? Someone told me that Lady Tsunade gave you a list of things about her and a picture."

Kiba: "Oh yeah, she did. I didn't look at it yet, though. Here, let me get it out."

Kiba took out the picture and his eyes went wide. The girl had brown eyes, was slightly tan, had brown long hair that was waist length, she had side bangs that covered only a little portion of her left eye, and a thin and slightly long scar on her right eye. She was wearing a brown cropped halter neck top with short shorts. She was wearing earrings and a string necklace that had a crystal tied at the end.

Kiba couldn't stop staring at her picture. _'Whoa.' _he thought_, 'I've never seen any girl looking a bit like her and yet she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen!'_ He looked up and saw that Choji, Naruto, and Shikamaru were also bug-eyed. Kiba looked at the next picture. The picture was of the girl crouching with a little girl wolf on her shoulders. What Kiba was slightly surprised to see was that the wolf was also wearing a necklace that had a clear-blue crystal tied to the end. Kiba looked at Akamaru and saw that he was staring at the wolf girl.

When Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji were out of their trances, Kiba decided to brag.

Kiba: "Heh. Looks like it might be of some fun after all. In the description, it says that she has a lot in common with me; we're both extremely fast, use a canine to fight, and are wild. If I'm lucky she might trip and we can 'accidently' kiss."

Naruto: "Lucky…"

Choji: "Hmph, that's strange."

Shikamaru: "What is?"

Choji: "Well, it says here that she steals a lot of the food. Yet, she is a little too thin. I wouldn't expect her to eat all of the food, but maybe eat some not to be so thin."

Kiba: "She's probably thin because of all of the running away from the people that are trying to catch her."

Akamaru: Ruff, arf, arf! _'I can't wait to meet the wolf!'_

Akamaru's tail was wagging. Kiba gave a light chuckle.

Kiba: "Remember buddy, we have to capture them. As much as I would like to become friends with this girl, our mission is to find her the one who has been stealing of the food."

After Kiba and Akamaru were done with the ramen place, they went to get the supplies and trained. It said on the girl's description that she was very strong, had extreme speed, and fought with her wolf. Her weapons were her bow and arrows, a couple of animal claws and teeth that were tied on strong string that she used as grapplers, and the crystal necklace that she and her wolf wore.

On the description it didn't give the name of the girl or the wolf, or how old she was. However, for her age it was an estimation. It said that she was 12 now and started stealing when she was about 11.

(The rest of this to the last sentence of this ch will be directly from the imaginary description paper.) She knew the surroundings of the forest very well and used it to her advantage in fighting. No one knew exactly where she lived, how she got that scar, or why she was in the forest in the first place.

Her speed is unmatched. She will often rely on it to avoid hits from foes. Her strength, while not as high as her speed, is still very much. While she runs away from her foes she will use her strength to create obstacles like making a tree fall or throwing large rocks. She doesn't use her strength as much as she uses her speed in fights but will use it frequently if she is up against a large opponent.

The crystal necklace that the girl and wolf wear gives them both abilities. So far the only known abilities that the girl has is that she is able to communicate with animals. If close enough, then she will use a move called the Wolf's Bite which is where she will bite down anywhere on the opponent's body and paralyze them. In long range, she will use a move called the Wolf's Song. It is where she will howl like a wolf and depending on the pitch it can distract, paralyze, or make someone go unconscious. Her sense of smell & hearing is above average for a human.

The wolf is also able to use Wolf's Bite & Wolf's Song like the girl. But the only abilities in which the wolf only has is the ability to talk and grow or decrease in size.

The move that the girl and wolf do together is where they both run very fast around their opponent(s). As they run they become faster and a dust cloud forms around the opponent(s). After several seconds the dust cloud becomes the shape of a tornado and the opponent(s) stuck in it are unable to see. The girl and wolf stop running and go inside the dust tornado and literally throw the opponent(s) out of it. This move is called the Dust Spinner.

Besides her necklace, the girl doesn't use her other weapons that much for battle. She will use the claws to take her opponent(s) weapons as a defense. She also uses her bow to block attacks.

Kiba did admit that the girl was pretty cute, but he had to capture her for his mission. But something about the entire stealing thing made somewhat no sense. He wasn't sure why, but something just didn't seem right.


	5. They All Meet

Gem & the Wolf: The Meeting

Kiba arrived at the village the next day. He decided that he would wait for the girl (even though we know that it 'the girl' is named Crystal, Kiba doesn't know this yet) to steal and then follow her to see if he couldn't find out what she did with all of it. He went to the village's leader and told him that Lady Tsunade sent him to help catch the girl. As Kiba was waiting for her to some, he heard a loud thud and a scream;

"STOP! THIEF!"

"That's our cue, Akamaru." Ruff, ruff, ruff.

Kiba went over to where all of the action was and had a clear view. He was amazed by what he saw. The girl was avoiding the hits and she looked like she was dancing. _'Wow, she is even more beautiful up close'_. The girl had a large and bulky bag filled with different items. She didn't give any hits to the people surrounding her. Kiba was wondering where the wolf was, and as if on cue he heard a crash and saw a large wolf at the girl's side. The girl reluctantly got on the wolf's back and rode away.

After the chaos died down, Kiba went into the forest to follow the girl. It was much bigger than he thought it would be, which made it harder for him to know where he was. He heard rustling and looked behind him while in an attacking stance. He looked down and saw a tiny wolf with a crystal necklace.

"Hey, where's the girl?" Kiba asked the wolf.

The wolf was startled but understood that Kiba was after her and her 'sister'. She ran away and Kiba, figuring that she would lead him to the girl, followed her.

He & Akamaru kept a distance but were still hot on the wolf's tail. Although, the little wolf knew this and was just baiting them.

After a couple of seconds, the wolf ran into a dead end, and Kiba & Akamaru were right in front of her.

"It's okay, little wolf. We just need to know where your partner is." Kiba reached down to touch the wolf, but was stopped by a stern but calm voice behind him.

"Don't. Ya dare. Touch her."

Kiba turned to see the girl with her bow & arrow pointed straight at him.

"Look, we don't want any trouble."

"Look here, guy. Me and my sister are in a little hurry, so if ya don't mind we are going to leave. And who's 'we'?"

At that moment Akamaru popped his head out of Kiba's jacket. Once she saw him, the girl's eyes softened and she shot her arrow. Kiba & Akamaru weren't hit by the arrow but it just went into Kiba's jacket sleeve and brought him stuck to a tree. He was about to get the arrow out, but the girl shot another arrow into the other sleeve and both his arms/ hands were pinned to the tree. Akamaru leapt from the jacket, but the wolf jumped him and did the Wolf's Bite on him. The girl gave a little scowl.

"You're lucky I saw your dog in time or else I would have skewered ya both. Come on Nasha, we have some things to deliver." The girl gestured for the wolf, Nasha, to follow.

"Wait, why didn't ya shoot when ya saw Akamaru? And who are ya delivering those stolen goods to?"

"Unless they're annoying bugs, fish, or bears I don't hurt animals. And the guy I'm delivering to is…"

The girl was cut of by a loud shout;

"CRYSTAL! WHERE ARE YOU AND THAT FLEA RIDDEN MUTT? I AM NOT A PATIENT MAN! BRING MY FOOD AND JEWELS NOW!"

The girl, Crystal, winced at the voice, and gave a little sigh, "That's your answer. Come on Nasha." Crystal & Nasha left.

Kiba was stunned. 'Who was that man's voice?' was all he could think of. Eventually, he got himself free and Akamaru was starting to move again. They both followed Crystal and Nasha, for they didn't get far. Their smell was still easy to follow, and with all that food and junk that they had, they were much slower. Still, Kiba knew that whoever yelled for Crystal to hurry up was worth seeing.


	6. The Man

The Man

Kiba & Akamaru saw how far Crystal & Nasha were walking. There was a huge hill, and many travelers mistook for a mountain. There was also a large cave leading to many tunnels which many used as passageways to get to the around the hill. But recently the last travelers to go into it were found dead in the river with slashes all over their bodies, so it wasn't used anymore.

In order to get to the hill, one had to cross a slight canyon that separated the West forest, which the village was located near, and the East forest. There was a bridge, but it was very old, unstable, and likely to collapse if there was as much as a pebble on it. To stop this from happening, the villagers would usually replace it, but ever since the incident, they didn't think anyone would need it.

Kiba & Akamaru got to the canyon before Crystal & Nasha did, and they miracuasly got to the other side without much problem. Kiba was in a tree top with Akamaru on his head. They both had a clear view of the other side and the space between the 2 sides. They both waited and after a couple of seconds Crystal & Nasha came into view.

Kiba was wondering how Crystal & her wolf would get over. Crystal got her grapplers out of her pouch and tied one around a loop on her belt. Nasha hopped onto Crystal's head for transportation. Kiba was amazed to see that Crystal wasn't even slouching from all of the weight that she was supporting with the wolf and the huge bag of stolen things.

Crystal started to swing the grappler to the other side and when she released it, it latched on to a large rock. She then tied another grappler on a large tree behind her for extra support. The string was like a bridge across the canyon. Even though it was just string, Crystal remade it to be extremely strong. She went onto the string and, to Kiba's shock, the string only slumped slightly. Crystal was barely half-way across when Nasha slipped and fell from her head. She was hurdling down the canyon!

"NASHA!"

Crystal, thinking fast, threw the bag to the East side, quickly detached her string, and jumped off. She was hurdling down the canyon, too!

Kiba was stunned! _'She's actually risking her life to safe her friend? A wolf?' _Kiba wasn't weirded out that she would do that, after all he would do the same thing for Akamaru. It was just that he was shocked that he would see someone else do that.

Crystal reached out for Nasha and held onto her paw. She then pulled her in to her chest and rolled up into a ball to protect her (Nasha) from injuries. Crystal's back was being scraped up by the rock on the wall. She gave a little groan from the shock of it. She hit the ground and rolled a little. She was shaking a bit from the pain.

Crystal loosened her hands off of Nasha and let her down. Nasha was fine, but Crystal had some scrapes, cuts, and her back was pretty banged up. Nasha gave a little worried whimper but Crystal just gave her a sly smile, "I'm, ugh, fine Nasha. Really. Don't feel so guilty. Come on, we should get back to the bag."

Nasha got into Crystal's back pouch so she was more secured. Crystal stood up and winced slightly. She pushed aside the pain and tied a grappler around her belt and back pouch. She then used her larger and stronger animal claws as hooks. She then started climbing the East canyon wall. Kiba was amazed by how fast she was to get to the top.

Crystal grabbed the food bag and assumed the walk to the hill.

After 47 minutes, Crystal got to the hill's main cave and paused. She was waiting for someone to show themselves. Kiba & Akamaru were in another tree top and were watching with interest. They waited for something to happen and heard a loud, cold voice call out. Crystal & Nasha both went stiff before shuffling a bow to the ground.

"Crystal & mutt. It took you 2 brats much too long to come. You know how angry that makes me."

A large, somewhat chubby, man came out. He was shirtless, bald, and looked like a menacing criminal. He even had a large skull tattoo on his arm and another tattoo of a flame on his other arm. He had a belt that held 2 whips, a long one on the right, a short one on the left. He seemed to be in his 30s.

Crystal didn't look up. She just stayed into the bow, "I am sorry Takeshi, sir (in Japanese, the name 'Takeshi' means 'fierce/violent'). We ran into some trouble."

"Such as?"

"While on our way here, Nasha fell into the canyon, so I jumped in to save her."

"So it is the mutt's fault. She must be punished." Takeshi turned to Nasha with his hand on his short whip.

Crystal's eyes went wide and she looked up, "NO! I-I mean, no. It isn't. You see, after I caught her I climbed up the canyon. I didn't want her to fall out again, so I took my time while climbing. If I didn't take my time, then we would've been here faster. It is my fault. I am the one that needs to be punished."

Takeshi gave a little smirk. "Very well. Assume the position."

Crystal stood up and held our her arms. Takeshi took a few steps closer and took out his short whip. Kiba saw that Nasha's head was down in shame. He looked back at Crystal with worried eyes.

Takeshi then whipped the whip hard onto Crystal's arms. Crystal flinched a little, but didn't make a noise. Nasha, on the other hand, growled quietly. Anger in her eyes.

Takeshi continued to whip her about 4 more times before stopping. There were large cuts and red markings around her arms.

"Since you gave me a plentiful feast and jewels, I will let you and your little pet a day off tomorrow. Go now before I change my mind, you little brat."

Crystal put her arms down, and fought the urge to smile. "Thank you, Takeshi, sir. Come on Nasha."

Crystal & Nasha left. Kiba eyes were so wide that it almost hurt to keep them that way_. 'Did he just… how could he…'_ "Come on, Akamaru. I think we need to have a little talk with a certain girl." Akamaru was mad as well, Grrr, ruff ruff.


	7. The Song & Cave

Gem & the Wolf: The Song, the Offer, and the Cave

Crystal & Nasha went back to the river. Kiba & Akamaru were still hiding and watching them. They wanted to wait to see where Crystal & Nasha would go to sleep-to see where they lived.

"Nasha, could ya please dip my necklace into the river?"

"Sure." (remember, 3 papers ago it said that the crystal that Nasha wore gave her the ability to speak.)

Kiba was slightly shocked and confused. He was shocked that Nasha could speak, but then he remembered that the crystal gave her the ability to. He was confused because Crystal just asked Nasha to dip her necklace into the river. _'Why do that?'_ He watched Nasha hold onto the necklace's string with her teeth then run to the river. When she returned, the crystal was glowing.

Crystal took the crystal and rubbed it against her arms. The cuts and bruises were starting to disappear, but she went straight to the next arm before they were even healed. Nasha noticed this and gave a little worried whimper.

"Nasha, ya know that Takeshi will get suspicious if he saw that my cuts got healed in a day. He'll order us to get rid of our crystals, and ya know we can't have that."

Nasha nodded and looked down.

"Is something wrong, buddy?"

"It's just, you said it was your fault that we were late, when it was clearly mine. You even lied when you said that you took your time climbing. Why get punished just to help me?"

Crystal gave a sweet little smile to her friend whom she considered a sister, "Cuz we made a promise. We will always protect each other from harm and care for each other like sisters. Nasha, you're my best friend. I will never let anything happen to ya, and I know that ya make sure that nothing will ever happen to me."

Nasha smiled, wagged her tail, and jumped into her friend's arms. "Remember that song you said your mom would sing to you when you were younger. The one that was your favorite?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Nasha looked up at Crystal with big, sad puppy dog eyes. "Can you sing it for me again? Please?"

"Alright. But ya remember that the deal was 1 song a day."

Kiba was excited. _'Beautiful, strong, caring, animal-lover, and now singer? This girl's got everything.'_ He told Akamaru to stay quiet so they could hear the song. Akamaru was a bit confused, but agreed.

(I didn't write it. It is called 'Who Says' by Selena Gomez. Selena Gomez owns it not me.)

"I wouldn't want to be anybody else. Hey.

You made me insecure. Told me I wasn't good enough.

But who are you to judge? When you're a diamond in the rough.

I'm sure you got something's, that you want to change about yourself. But when it comes to me, I wouldn't want to be anybody else.

Nana nana nana nana nanana, nana nana nana nanana.

I'm no beauty queen. I'm just beautiful me.

Nana nana nana nanana, nana nana nana nanana.

You've got every right, to a beautiful life. Come on!

Who says? Who says you're not perfect?

Who says you're not worth it? Who says you're the only one who's hurting?

Trust me, that's the price of beauty. Who says you're not pretty?

Who says you're not beautiful? Who says?

It's such a funny thing. When nothing's funny when it's you.

You tell them what you mean. But they keep whiting out the truth.

It's like a work of art. That never gets to see the light.

Keeps you beneath the stars. Won't let you touch the sky.

Nana nana nana nanana, nana nana nana nanana.

I'm no beauty queen. I'm just beautiful me.

Nana nana nana nanana, nana nana nana nanana.

You've got every right, to a beautiful life. Come on!

Who says? Who says you're not perfect?

Who says you're not worth it? Who says you're the only one that's hurting?

Trust me, that's the price of beauty. Who says you're not pretty?

Who says you're not beautiful? Who says?

Who says you're not star potential? Who says you're not presidential?

Who says you can't be in movies? Listen to me, listen to me.

Who says you don't past the test? Who says you can't be the best?

Who said? Who said?

Would you tell me who said that? Yeah! Who said? Who says?

Who says you're not perfect? Who says you're not worth it?

Who says you're the only one that's hurting? Trust me, that's the price of beauty.

Who says you're not pretty? Who says you're not beautiful?

Who says?"

Crystal was done with her song. Kiba was smiling. _'Wow'_ he thought.

Nasha's eyes were drooping. Crystal's voice was so soft & sweet, that it made Nasha sleepy. Kiba looked up and saw that Akamaru was tired, too (Akamaru was on Kiba's head). Then Nasha said to Crystal,

"Was your mom anything like you?"

"Yes. We were very alike. It was easy to tell that we were related. She taught me how to fight, heal, practically everything that I know now. She was also stubborn in fights, and wild in them just like me."

"I wish that I knew her. I would have liked her. Anyone that you like must be good to be friends with. Can you carry me back to the cave? It's getting late and I'm tired."

"Sure." Crystal's eyes shifted to where Kiba & Akamaru were. "Should we get the others," She gave a little smirk, "ya know, the ones that THINK that they are such great hiders."

Nasha looked at where Kiba & Akamaru were, too. "Sure."

"Okay, okay. You found us." Kiba stepped out with an in & out of sleep Akamaru in his arms, "Did ya see us back at your little boss?"

Crystal sighed, "Didn't see ya. We just knew that ya both were there. We both could hear your breathing, and we could smell ya both."

Kiba scratched his head, "Should I be offended by that 'scent' thing?"

"Hmm, no. Look, it's supposed to rain tomorrow night. The cave me & Nasha share is the perfect cover for ya and your buddy, Akamaru was it?"

"Yep. What's the catch though?"

"What makes ya think there's a catch?" Crystal raised an eyebrow.

"Well, me and my partner did try to capture you both. Why ya being so nice to us if we tried that?"

"Well, ya saw why we have to steal, and the catch is that ya have to help me catch some fish to eat. Plus, ya have to help build a fire. Also, ya must help me & Nasha get Takeshi so our names will be cleared. It's getting dark, ya should make your choice now. Sometimes, Takeshi comes to look around the forest to see if there are any late night travelers he can kill. But, hey, it is ya choice if ya want our help."

Kiba's eyes went wide, but then gave a sly smile, "I guess the cave seems like a good idea." Kiba's voice was a little louder, as if a little angrier, "Plus, that dip stick seems like he deserves someone to teach him a few manners. So yeah. I accept your offer."

"Great. Come on, it seems my voice has the affect of making little things sleep, so we should bring our friends to the cave to rest. After that, we should get some food and wood to make a fire."

"Okay."

When they got to the cave, Kiba was surprised by what he saw. It was huge, had a grassy ground, and had tunnels in it leading to more room. Plus, in a little spot, there was a little opening at the top where there was a huge bowl. He guessed it was for water from the rain. "You live HERE?"

"Not what ya were expecting, eh? The grass helps to sleep. There are a lot of tunnels for excersise, entertainment, and hiding from villagers. The large size helps for, well everything! Follow me, we can put them in Nasha's favorite spot. They should get enough sleep and wake up as soon as they smell cooked fish, apples, and other things."

"I am starving! What exactly do you and Nasha eat most of the time?"

"Mostly fish, apples, and strawberries. Although, for breakfast, if we're lucky enough, 1 of the villagers' chickens will lay eggs. Plus, we are able to get some milk from the cows, but that isn't exactly one of our most favorite things."

'No offense, but bleh. The fish & eggs don't sound so bad, but you drink the milk directly from the cow? Don't you ever eat some of the food that you steal for that dip stick?"

"No. He tells us that if we eat anything that we steal from the villagers, then he would whip us both for 2 hours. He may not be smart, but he is able to tell time just by looking at the sun. He also said that he wasn't very good at it, so he might 'accidently' whip us for longer. Look, I'll explain more things about dip stick after we get the food. Now, come on." Crystal turned around and was about to walk away but Kiba grabbed her wrist.

"Wait."

"What?"

"Your name. Dip stick (that is his new official nickname) called you Crystal. Is that your real name, or a nickname because of your necklace?"

"Yes, Crystal is my real name. My momma always loved unique names. Now, your name?"

"Kiba. Look, Crystal, I have loads more questions to ask ya, but I am extremely hungry. So just show me where the river or what ever is, and I'll help ya get the food."

"Alright, Kiba, lets go." Crystal took Kiba's hand. Kiba fought the urge of blushing, Crystal was trying to do the same thing.


	8. Fishing & Fire Making 101

Crystal was still holding Kiba's hand while leading him to the river. Kiba, who was happy that he made friends with Crystal, was even happier that she was holding his hand. He kept a straight face so that Crystal would think that he was cool.

After a couple minutes, Crystal & Kiba were right in front of the lake. It was beautiful! It was a sparkling blue, and very clear. A waterfall was pouring into it. It was so romantic (hint, hint).

(It's sort of something like its where there are different points of view type of style,) After taking in the scenery, Kiba looked down and saw that Crystal was still holding his hand. "Uh, Crystal."

She looked down, and Kiba thought that he saw her blush slightly, "Oh, sorry. Forgot." She let go. "Let me go get my spear. In the mean time, can ya go and find some firewood? Look for dry, dead tree branches. They burn the best." And with that, she left.

(This is still Crystal) 'Way to go! Ya barely know him and yet ya mess up by holding his hand for too long!' She found her spear, not that she really needed it. It did help get more fish, but she mostly used her hands and mouth. She only told Kiba that she was going to get it as an excuse for the hand incident.

Kiba was getting some firewood. He was still slightly blushing from the hand holding thing. He pushed it aside, though.

Crystal returned a couple of seconds later. She got Kiba and showed him the best ways to get the fish. All he had to do was find the fish, wait for the perfect chance to strike, and grab it. He had to be very fast or else the fish would get away.

Kiba looked over and saw that Crystal had already caught 2 small- medium ones. He wanted to impress her, get her to like him more. He saw 2 large ones and grabbed them both. Crystal was indeed impressed.

"Not bad for a rookie."

"Well, my fish are bigger than yours."

At that second, a large, and I mean HUGE, fish jumped out of the water and back in. Kiba & Crystal looked at each other and nodded. They both, after killing them, put down their fish and went to where the larger one was.

At the same time, they both lunged at it. Unfortunately, they missed it. They both landed on each other. Crystal was on top, and Kiba was on the bottom. Their faces, or should I say lips, were about 3.5 cm apart. Both of them blushed a deep red and quickly stood up.

"Sorry, about that."

"It's okay."

"I think we have enough fish. We should head back to the cave before it gets any darker."

"Sure."

Kiba took the firewood and Crystal took the fish. They were pretty silent while walking back to the cave, but they started talking after Crystal broke the ice, "So, exactly why is it that only you and Akamaru are trying to catch me & Nasha? Usually there are more people."

"Well, Lady Tsunade wanted us to do it only because you're only stealing, therefore petty crimes. She also said that we might be able to match your level of strength, speed, and fighting style. Since we both fight with canines."

"Oh. So is 'Lady Tsunade', your leader or something?"

"Yeah. She's the hokage of the Leaf Village."

"Okay."

When they arrived at the cave, they saw an adorable sight. Akamaru and Nasha's paws were on top of each other's. They were both asleep, so they might not have noticed it.

"Awe! How cute!"

"To tell ya the truth, Akamaru was pretty excited about meeting Nasha when he saw her picture."

" _Giggle_" Crystal decided to be a little playful/ teasy. "Since me & Nasha are almost never apart, there is probably a picture of me too, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Do ya have it If ya do can I see it?"

"Sure, here."

Crystal saw her picture of her in the revealing clothes. She gave a slight blush before smirking. 'time for a little fun', "Since Akamaru was excited about meeting Nasha, what was your reaction to my picture, hm?"

Kiba blushed a little and scratched the back of his head. "Well, um. Ya see, uh. I k-kind of didn't really have a reaction. Though, it isn't every day you see a pretty girl in an outfit like, uh, that."

"Awe, how sweet! Ya think I'm pretty?"

Now registering what he said, Kiba's blush worsened. "WHAT? NO! Um, my friends that asked to see your picture said that you were, are, pretty. So, I'm just repeating what they are saying."

"Oh. So ya don't think I'm pretty?"

"Yes. NO! I mean, if I was asked if I were to call you pretty, then I would say pretty. But since we're friends, I am just saying a nice, compliment pretty. Not th-"

"_Giggle_ Kiba, relax. I was just teasing. I don't need to hear your or ya friends thoughts. Your performance was sweet & cute, especially the part where you where stammering like an idiot."

"Uh, thanks." Kiba smiled in pride before registering what she said in his head before making his eyes go wide, "HEY! I am not an idiot!"

"Yeah, but ya said thanks to my complement/ insult before taking your precious time to know what I said fully. Therefore, I don't have to apologize."

"Hmph."

Crystal still wasn't done with her little 'game'. "Why do ya keep this pic of me anyway?"

"W-Well, its just so I know what you look like."

"Kiba, I live in the forest in a cave, with a wolf at my side, and a scar on my eye. How can there be any other girl like that?"

"Uh… well… I…"

"Ya just wanted to see me in the outfit. Didn't ya!"

"NO! I DIDN'T AND DON'T! I keep it around because…" Kiba was shuffling the papers around trying to find something to help him. "AH! Because if I never became friends with you and I had to fight you, then I could look at your description and see what to expect!"

"Smooth, Kiba. Very smooth." She rolled her eyes.

"You are mean. Ya know that."

"I know, aint it great? Now come on, big guy. I'll show ya where the fire for our meals is."

Crystal led Kiba farther into the cave. He saw light coming from a wide opening. When he stepped into the light (not death), he was awestruck.

It was amazing! There was an opening that was covered with what seemed to be ice. An intense sunlight beaming in. The area was very wide and bright. Even though the sunlight was bright, it was barely hot. There was a somewhat large circle of stones in the middle, which Kiba guessed was where the fire was made.

He put the firewood in the circle. Crystal put the fish on a wide, flat rock. She then went closer to the wood and knelt down. She looked up at the sun and took off her necklace. She put the crystal at an angle of the sunlight and soon enough, there was fire on the wood.

Crystal placed 2 more branches, shorter but stronger looking ones, at the sides of the fire. She got the rock with the fish on them and placed it on the 2 shorter branches. The 4 fish started to sizzle.

Nasha & Akamaru, still not noticing that they were touching paws, woke up to smell the fish frying. Nasha led Akamaru to the place where the fish were. Kiba saw them coming.

"It ain't much, but it would have to do for now. Just wondering, where do you both get your water supply?"

"We usually get the most water from the rain. As you saw before, I made a little rain catcher. Most of the time, if there is no rain, then we use some water from the lake & river. We make sure that it goes over the fire and boils to get the bacteria out, first. Though, the river & lake water is only rare. This forest had mild weather and it rains practically 4 times a week. The rain tomorrow night will be the 4th time this week."

"Oh. Well, it looks like the fish are done now."

Akamaru gave a little bark, 'great, because I am starving!'

Nasha nodded her head, "Me, too. I can not wait to eat!"

"Okay Nahsa. But don't manipulate Kiba or Akamaru into giving ya their food. It works on me, but I don't get angry, but we need their help in getting dip stick, and I ain't letting them get angry due to your, immaturity."

"Immaturity? I'm immature? This coming from the girl who awes at every cute thing that is or happens."

"Hey, that is the girl in me's fault."

"Right." Nasha rolled her eyes.

Kiba was trying to hold in a chuckle. "Do you guys have any water to stop the fire to get the fish?"

"We don't do that. It just ruins the fish. What we do is this." Crystal used her grappling hooks to get the fish before they burned. She & Kiba got the bigger ones, while Nasha & Akamaru got the medium sized ones.

After they finished eating, Crystal & Nasha showed Kiba & Akamaru where the best place to sleep was. Akamaru liked the place near Nasha's spot, so he slept near there. Kiba was resting near little rock with grass around it to put his head on. Crystal was near by. Like Kiba, she had a rock in which she put her head on.


	9. Bonding

Gem and Wolf: Bonding

Kiba awoke suddenly. He saw Nasha & Akamaru both fast asleep. He looked over to Crystal's spot and saw that she wasn't there. He looked back at the cave's entrance and saw Crystal's shadowy silhouette walking out. Being curious, Kiba followed her. After a couple of minutes Crystal started to climb a little hill that had a perfect view of the lake. Kiba climbed the hill too and saw Crystal at the top of it sitting down and looking over the stars, moon, and lake.

He took a few steps forward and Crystal, hearing the footsteps, turned her head to see him walking towards her. "Can I sit?" He asked.

"Sure." She patted the ground next to her and Kiba sat down. Crystal looked back at the lake. "Beautiful, ain't it?"

"Yeah. It's amazing how big this forest is and how big the things are in it."

"After a couple of years, ya kind of get used to the hugeness."

Kiba, wanting to find out more about Crystal, went right out and asked it, "How did ya get in the forest anyway?"

Crystal sighed, "It happened about 4 years ago. My papa, dad, didn't want me around anymore, so he abandoned me here. He wanted me dead, but didn't want to get found out so he brought me here thinking that I would die. He was wrong."

"Look, I really want to know about you. To avoid any confusion and repeating of words, how about you tell me the things that were the most important in your life, and the things that led to you being brought here?"

"Hmm, sure. But after I tell ya my facts, ya have to tell me yours. Agreed, Kiba?"

"Deal."

"Okay. When I was really young, 7 to be exact, I was with my mama and we were going down an alley. She was leading me in it because we were being watched & followed by 2 grunts. She told me to run away so I did, but only a few yards away, in some bushes, and in seeing range. After a couple of minutes, the 2 grunts trapped my mama and asked about where I was. She was protecting me by saying that she didn't have a daughter. The 2 grunts got tired of asking about where I was, and they started to attack her. She fought back; but in the end, there was a knife in her back. I screamed and ran to her bloody body. The grunts smirked and went for me to finish what their boss told them to do. Before they did, my mama, using her last bits of energy, killed them. She told me that their boss ordered the men that tried to kill me. The boss wanted me and my mama dead just because of what our chakra power is. She told me to promise her that I will never use my chakra again. She told me to promise her that I have to never tell any one what my chakra is, no matter how close they become to me. She said that I had to promise these things so that way I could be safe. I did, and I haven't broken any of those promises."

Kiba was in shock. "If you didn't break the promises, then does that mean you don't fight with chakra? You only use weapons and your fists?"

"Yes. My mama taught me almost everything that I know about fighting."

"You never told any one? Not even Nasha?"

"No. I told her why I could never tell her, and she understands. It is not only to keep me safe, but to keep her and any others that I might care about later on in life. If any more people like the 2 grunts came and found out who I was and where to find me, I wouldn't want any one to get hurt just to protect me."

"Your mom sounds like a brave woman."

"Thank ya."

"You are going to tell me about what your father did after your mom died now, aren't you?"

"Yep, so quit interrupting. Even when my mama was alive, me and my dad never really bonded. I think that it was due to the fact that only me and my mama had our type of chakra ability. Anyway, after my mama did die, he just never talked to me. Every time he looked at me, all I saw in his eyes were disappointment, shame, and anger. I felt so guilty about what happened to my mama, and when I looked into his eyes, it made me feel even more guilty. I was even thinking about suicide."

Kiba became bug-eyed, "YOU DIDN'T DO IT DID YOU?"

"Ow, my ear! Kiba, if I did commit it, then why would ya be talking to me, eh?"

Kiba relaxed, but blushed slightly. "Oh, right. Guess that I wasn't really thinking about that too much, huh?"

"_Chuckle _No, duh! Now quit cutting in! If ya don't let me finish then how will ya know what to expect from me? Now where was I, oh yeah! The night before the day that I was going to commit it, I had an amazing dream. My mama was in it; she was cradling me, brushing my hair, and was singing my favorite song. It was so vivid that I thought that it was real at first, but I knew that it was just a dream. Although, right before I woke up she said to me to not do it. That I shouldn't kill myself. I had to be patient to find happiness again. I would see her again when it was actually my time. I had to wait and be patient. After she said that, I just knew that it was my mom's spirit coming to me. So I did wait. A year later, when I was 8, my dad brought me to this forest. He had me sit on a rock to rest and started to leave but I followed him. He told me that he was leaving and that I shouldn't follow, he said that he was abandoning me. Since I was so young I was in shock. I told him that mama wouldn't like that, but he interrupted me by hitting me with his whip. That's why I have this scar. He was furious about me speaking about my mama. He kept saying that no one would ever love me. He called me a weak, ugly, stupid girl that would be better off dead. He said that it was my fault that my mama was dead. He then just left. I was in tears from what he said, and the pain on my right eye. I knew, however, that it wasn't my fault that my mama died. I was too young to do anything. I just waited for a couple minutes until my dad got far enough before moving to find someplace to rest."

"I don't like your dad. I mean, why would he do that! That just seems so, evil. Wait."

"What?"

"Dip stick has a whip, and you said that your dad used a whip to give you that scar. So, does that mean that dip stick is your…?"

"No. If my dad did return, then he would have killed me by now."

"Well, then who is dip stick?"

"If you let me finish then ya will find out! Okay, so after that happened, I worked on my cut. I couldn't use my chakra so I worked on it the old fashioned way. When I was done with that I found the cave where me and Nasha live in now. The next morning, I made a spear and used it to get some apples. I heard whimpering so I followed it and found Nasha. She had huge thorns in her paw so I took them out. When I was done with that I said good-bye to her, but she followed me. I decided to keep her, since I knew that she wouldn't leave especially after I helped her. She taught me how to hunt, and I taught her how to fish just using her mouths and hands. About a year and a half later we found a tunnel in our cave. It led to a huge cavern full of crystals. We both took a crystal and I made it into a necklace. A few days passed and we found out that the crystals gave us different abilities. We taught each other ones that we found out about, and we officially made the 2 crystals each symbolize a certain thing. It shows that no matter what happens, Nasha and I will never hurt each other, we will protect each other from getting hurt. We will also treat each other like sisters and never betray each other. I love Nasha like a sister would love her sister."

"Just like how I love Akamaru like a brother!"

"Yep! But what did I say about the interrupting, eh? So, a year ago when I was 11, dip stick came and had to ruin everything. He threatened to burn down this forest if I didn't get the things for him. I declined at first and tried to attack him. He defended himself using his longer whip. The longer whip is able to put itself on fire just by a press of a button. When I was attacked, it made me hit my back into a tree. I knew that I was defeated so I complied. Although, this forest burning down ain't the whole reason why I agreed to the deal."

"If saving this amazing forest wasn't the whole reason why, then what was and is?"

"I knew that if dip stick were to put the forest to fire, then there would be a huge chance that Nasha would get hurt."

"You care for Nasha a lot, huh?"

"Yes. She is the closest thing that I have to a family right now. I don't want anything to happen to her, ever. And I know that she feels the same for me. Okay, I gave my facts. It's your turn now."

"I got Akamaru when I was young. I have an older sister named Hana who mostly works as a vet. My mom is pretty scary and because of her scariness my dad left. I'm on team 8 back in my village. My sensei is Kurenai, and my teammates are Hinata and Shino. Akamaru is my closest friend and, like you and Nasha, I don't want anything to ever happen to him."

"Hmm, I wasn't exactly expecting the part about your sister, or your mom being that scary."

"Well, it's a pretty good life. The sun will be up in a couple of hours, we should probably get back to the cave before Nasha and Akamaru wake up to find us gone, and we need more sleep." Kiba was starting to climb down before Crystal pulled him back up.

"Ya could go done that way, or ya could go down the fun way." She got 2 round but flat rocks that both looked like sleds. She motioned him to the front of the hill. Kiba looked down and saw that it was a steep slope. It did look fun.

"Is it safe?"

"Since when is safe ever fun?"

"Good point. Fine, pass me a stone."

"That a boy."

Crystal handed Kiba his sled and Crystal told him how to steer it. When they both jumped off the slope, Crystal hit the bottom first. Kiba was having a little trouble, however. When he got to the bottom, he rammed into Crystal and they both kept on stumbling on top of each other. They stopped stumbling when they hit a tree. Crystal was between Kiba and the tree, while Kiba was in front of Crystal. They both started laughing due to the terrible fall. "I think that ya need some practice."

"Really, cuz I think I did pretty good."

They both smiled at each other and look into each other's eyes. They were both in some type of hypnotic trance. Crystal was the one to break out of it first, and quickly got out of the awkward situation. Blushing, she said, "Come on. I'm pretty tired and we need our sleep. We'll need the energy if we are to get dip stick."

"Okay."

And with that, they were both blushing and were heading back at the cave. When they got there Nasha & Akamaru were still sound asleep. Crystal went to sleep first, and Kiba just stared at her sleeping self. _'She is just so perfect! How can any one want to get rid of her? Her chakra power must have been a pretty big deal if she was wanted dead. I don't care what it is, I am going to help her catch dip stick no matter what secrets she's keeping.'_ And with that, Kiba fell asleep with a smile.


	10. Nightmares

Gem & the Wolf: Nightmares

Kiba, Crystal, Akamaru, and Nasha woke up the next day. Crystal looked out the cave entrance and saw a couple of dark clouds gathering. "Hmm, it seems to be midday. I'm going to the village and see if there are any eggs to get. Be back in a couple minutes. Nasha, can ya show Kiba & Akamaru around while I'm gone?"

"_Yawn_ Alright. Just be careful. Some of the villagers should be awake, and be fast before the sun is completely blocked. I'll get the rain catcher ready."

"Great, thanks." And with that Crystal left.

"So, what would you like to see first? The rain catcher? The tunnels? The waterfall and training grounds? Or perhaps the…"

"Whoa, whoa, wait. There's a waterfall in this cave?"

"Yep. Sometimes if the fish at the river or lake aren't biting, than we fish at the waterfall, but that's rare. Want to see it?"

"Sure!"

"Okay, follow me." Nasha turned around and headed farther into the cave. Akamaru ran to her side and started to walk (or whatever the animal version of walk is) next to her. Kiba rolled his eyes. _'Looks like someone has a crush'_.

Like he had for Crystal, Kiba had questions for Nasha, too. He thought that Nasha could give him more hints on what Crystal was like. "Hey, can I ask ya some things?"

"Sure, ask away."

"Well, last night I woke up in the middle of the night and saw Crystal leaving the cave. When I followed her, I saw her on a hill looking over the lake. She saw me and said that I could sit down next to her. After I sat, I asked her about her past and she told me everything."

"Her mom dying in front of her eyes to the part about dip stick arriving?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Akamaru and I heard movements so we woke up to see you following Crystal out the cave. We also followed and saw and heard you guys talking. I already knew her past, but Akamaru was very surprised."

Ruff, ruff, ruff '_In my defense I thought her past was completely different!' _

"_Chuckle_ Whatever. Anyway, once you were down telling your past, we saw you guys sledding down the little 'slide'. And we saw your little 'romance scene'."

"WHAT! Look, we are just friends. ALRIGHT!"

"Like I said to Akamaru, whatever! Now, what was your question?"

Kiba was controlling himself to calm down from the remark. "Well, what do you think her chakra is? Did she show any signs or hints about what it could be?"

"_Sigh_ I know that it has something to do with bloodline. Her father didn't have it, so it was from her mother's side. I also know that it has to do with extreme endurance. Although, endurance doesn't help too much with narrowing down the possibilities. Crystal is strong, and even though she never uses her chakra, I can tell that she is even stronger when she uses it. Though, I don't think that she would like me to reveal too much about her hints of her chakra."

"Why? Will she feel betrayed."

"I think she will feel slightly betrayed, and also slightly guilty. She promised her mother that she would never tell her chakra power, so if I were to ever find out or tell any one too many hints, than Crystal would think she broke her promise."

"Is that the main reason why?"

"No, there is one more. About 5 days after finding the crystals, you know the ones on our necklace, she starting having nightmares. At first, they were just mild; waking up suddenly while panting. But after 3 days of mildness, Crystal started crying in her sleep. I confronted her about it but she just told me that she would be fine. I didn't want to get too nosy, so I trusted her. Finally, after 4 days of crying, she started to cry heavier, gasping for air between each sob. I ran to her side and comforted her. She kept asking me to never betray her, never to ask about what her chakra power was/is, and to always care for her and never hurt her. I was crying myself. The way that Crystal was crying, it sounded like she would die any second due to loss of breath. It was as if she was choking. I told her that I would never hurt her; I would stay by her side no matter what. The nightmares faded away, but I would always be next to Crystal whenever she slept; this let her know that I was always right by her side. I didn't ask her what the nightmares were about due to fear that she would start having them again. Although, I have a little notion of what they were."

"What do you think that they were about?"

"I think that the first dreams, the mild ones, were about her father abandoning her. All of the hurtful things that he said to her made her scared. I think that the crying nightmares were about her mother; the happy memories that the 2 shared together, but then flashbacks to her dying and the knife in her back. The one sobbing nightmare, I think was about me finding out about her secret chakra; she thought that once I found out what it was/is, than I would betray her, abandon her, and hurt her like her father did to her. I found it stupid at how she would think that."

"Why do you think it's stupid?"

"I love her like a younger sister would love her older sister. I never want to see her hurt. Every time I see dip stick whip Crystal, I just want to bite his head off and feed it to the bears. Kiba and Akamaru, I have a request for you 2." Nasha stopped and turned to face them both."

Kiba gave a sly smile, knowing what she was going to ask. "What's the request?"

Nasha smirked, "When you help us get dip stick, make sure to hurt with all of your power and make him cry."

This time, Kiba AND Akamaru smiled, "I was already going to do that." Woof, woof! _'I'll bite down with full force!'_


	11. Training Injuries

Training & Injuries

Nasha continued giving Kiba & Akamaru the tour. When they arrived to the room with the waterfall, Kiba was shocked by what he saw. The room was extremely big, there was a waterfall flowing into a small lake, and there were all different tunnels leading to it. "Is this like the center of the cave or something?"

"That's what Crystal and I think. We don't want to look around all around the tunnels, though. We're afraid that it might lead to something that we don't want to know about. Such as village people, or dip stick."

Kiba also noticed that there was some bare ground in the shape of a huge rectangle. "What's that bare rectangle, thing?"

"Oh that? It's where Crystal and I train. When we found this tunnel, that rectangular area was already bare. If you want a better look, then come on."

"Exactly how is there this much space, and how can there be so many rooms?"

"Crystal and I have many theories. Two of our most favorites are that these caves, tunnels, and rooms were once a place where the villagers used as a mining place, but abandoned it because they couldn't find anything or someone got hurt or killed while on the job. The other one is that Mother Nature did it."

Arf arf, arf. '_So, you guys have absolutely no idea.'_

"No clue whatsoever."

"Well that's educational."

"Thank you, Kiba. I just love to teach those who want to tour Crystal and my cave new things each day."

When the 3 of them were up close to the training field, Kiba saw that there were claw marks, scratch marks, broken wooden, and smashed rocks everywhere. "What the heck happened here?"

"Well, Crystal and I always wanted to hurt dip stick. So, we train our attacks and secret attacks in case the sweet day ever came."

Woof, woof? '_Secret attacks?'_

"Crystal thinks that if we attack with more than the ones we already use when against villagers, then more of them will try to come and get us. We're strong, but not that strong."

"What are your secret attacks exactly?"

"Well, I am also able to enlarge my claws to help climb tall and rocky walls or cliffs, I am able to talk to whoever I chose telepathically. Crystal is also able to grow her fingernails and use them like claws and use them like me. Although unlike me, she is able to shoot them like mini darts."

"Is that all?"

"Well, there is one more thing that I can do. But I don't like to practice or use it that much because Crystal has had a bad experiences with whips."

"What do whips have to do with it?"

"I am able grow to shrink my tail. I use it to grab things out of reach or to make it harder for villagers to grab me. But the growing my tail is sort of the thing related to whips. I can hit people with it and it's so hard it makes it feel like they got whipped by, well, a whip. Crystal keeps telling me that she doesn't mind, but I will only use it in desperate times."

"You care for her a lot, don't ya?"

"Of course. She's like an older sister to me. We do like to make fun of each other at times, but that's just for fun."

Nasha's ears perked up and so did Akamaru's. "Do you hear that?"

Arf, arf. '_I do. How about you Kiba?'_

Kiba turned his head to the tunnel that he came through and did hear faint footsteps. "Yeah. Do ya think it's Crystal?"

"Probably. Let me use telepathy." She closed her eyes and the crystal she was wearing started glowing. A sec later she opened her eyes and the glowing stopped. "Don't worry. It is just Crystal. She'll be here in 5, 4, 3, 2…"

"Hey guys."

"AH!" Kiba, startled, fell on the ground. Crystal started to crack up.

"_Laughing_ Sorry Kiba. Did I scare ya?"

"What? No."

"Then why did ya decide to scream and go on the ground?"

Kiba scrambled to get up, "Shut up. How did you do that anyway?"

"Do what?"

"Get here so quickly! It took me years to go that fast!"

"Well, the teachings of Nasha combined with the speed I was born are probably the reasons why."

"Oh… that explains it." He glanced at the training field and then back at Crystal. "This might sound sudden, but hows about we have a little fight? Akamaru and me and you guys will need to train if we are to get rid of dip stick."

"Hmm. It sounds like a good idea. How does that sound to you, Nasha?"

"Sounds like fun."

"Alright. Since we both agree, let's fight."

Crystal and Nasha were on the right side of the field; Kiba and Akamaru on the left. "I think that there should be some rules."

"Such as?"

"What weapons do ya have?"

"A couple of shuriken and a few kunai."

"Ya can use the kunai, but not the shuriken. I won't use by bow and arrow, just my grapplers. Nasha, ya can use your secret attacks minus the claws. Ya can use your tail whip."

"My turn to be bossy. You guys can use Wolf's Bite but not too soon. And don't paralyze us with Wolf's Song too early in the fight. You guys can use them both after the first 3 min. Alright?"

"Okay." Crystal crouched down and whispered very quietly into Nasha's ear, "To make it even, I want ya to mostly fight Akamaru. Let me handle Kiba. And ya know the codeword. Right?"

"Of course I do. You can count on me."

Crystal stood up and got into position. "Ready?"

Kiba smirked, "Ready."

At the same time, they both called out, "GO!"

They all charged at each other. After about 4 min, they all jumped back panting. "Your good, I'll *pant pant* give ya that."

"Thanks. Your *pant* not too bad yourself."

"But, I think that this fight has gone long enough." Crystal ran to a tree and used it as a spring to jump above Kiba & Akamaru and landed right behind them. "Nasha! Spin!"

"What th-" Kiba didn't have time to finish. He saw 2 speeding blurs in front of him going around in circles. '_Uh oh, Dust Spinner!'_

Kiba grabbed Akamaru so that he would be safer. Kiba heard feet and paws skidding to a stop. He felt himself being thrown out and hitting the wall hard. He blacked out after that.

"Hello? Kiba? Ya alright?"

Kiba heard a faint voice talking to him. He opened his eyes slightly. He saw (and in his words) a beautiful angel looking down at him. "Are you an angel?" He asked dazed.

"_Giggle_ Not exactly, big guy."

Kiba's eyes fully adjusted and he saw Crystal looking down at him. Realizing what he asked, he blushed. "Oh, its you. I, uh, thought it was someone else."

"Who? An angel?"

"Sort of." He sat up but there was a slight pain in the back of his head. "Ow. What happened?"

"When I threw ya out of the Dust Spinner, ya banged your head pretty hard."

"How long have I been out?"

"Just about 20 min."

"What about Akamaru?"

"He's fine. He didn't get as banged as ya did; just a bruise. By the way I got breakfast. Want some eggs?"

"Sure!"

"Woah. That was one fast recovery."

"Whatever. By the way, when will it rain?"

"Somewhere around 5 or 6. It will last all night."

"How are you, I mean we, gonna get dinner?"

"Ya did bring your own food right? I could smell it on ya the first time I saw ya."

"Oh yeah I did. I have _ (I'll let you guys come up with it)."

"Awesome. Never really got to eat that stuff. Plus there are fish from the lake here that we could eat."

"Raw?"

"What? No! I have some matches that I, uh, found lying around the village."

"Let me guess, ya found them on a porch on one of the villager's house."

"What? No. Maybe. Fine yes. But I was 9 alright!"

"Is that the only thing that you actually stole for yourself?"

"Yes. The clothes that I own are from materials that the tailor in the shop doesn't need. He puts them in a pile. He doesn't want them, therefore not stealing."

"How about the bowl for the rain catcher?"

"Made it out of tree bark."

"Your very smart, aren't you."

She blushed, "Thanks. Its mostly street smarts. Since I was just 8 when I came here, I don't know much about other things that have nothing to do with survival. Now come on. I'm hungry so lets eat!"


	12. Dip Stick's Command

Dip Stick's Command

**TIMESKIP TO NEXT DAY**

Crystal woke up bright and early the next day. She looked up at the sun and rushed to wake everyone up. "NASHA! KIBA! AKAMARU! GET OFF ALL OF YA LAZY BUTTS!" That sure woke them up.

"Crystal! What time is it?"

"It's 7:00 am!"

"Oh my god we're going to be late?"

(Kiba) "Calm down! Late for what?"

(Crystal) "Every morning we have to go to dip stick and see how big he wants his food and proportion of jewels. At exactly 7:30 am!"

(Kiba) "What happens if you're late?"

(Crystal) "Extra whipping."

(Kiba) "Don't just stand there! We have to get ya guys there! How long does it take to get there?"

(Crystal) "About 30-55 min. Kiba, ya and Akamaru cant come this time. If he finds out that we've been helping ya he'll kill all of us!"

(Kiba) "Cant Akamaru and I just be right behind you guys and find a different hiding spot? If he and I are to help you catch dip stick then we need to know more about him."

(Crystal) "Ugh, fine. He won't see us while going there, but stay in the shade just to be sure. But we have to go NOW!"

**TIMESKIP 30 min.**

Crystal and Nasha had just made to dip stick's place. Kiba & Akamaru were in a different tree, very well hidden. Crystal and Nasha got down into a bow. "Takeshi, sir, we arrived right on time." Dip stick came out, looking especially grumpy.

"Brat and mutt, took you losers long enough."

"I am very sorry, sir. We over slept. The rain was soothing."

"Only to those who are weak."

"Yes sir. Now, how much of a feast and jewels do ya want?"

Dip stick threw a bag that was even larger than the one that Crystal used 2 days ago. "Fill it up to the exact top. But it cant be over it or else. Now, make sure that you two twits don't mess up by tumbling down the little hole this time, understand?"

Crystal, still on her hands and knees, crawled to collect the bag. "We will both make sure not to mess up this time. We will be back very soon, sir."

"You better. Oh, and when you brats get back, I will have a special surprise for both of you." He went back into the cave.

**TIMESKIP 29 min.**

Crystal, Kiba, Nasha, and Akamaru were walking towards the village. Kiba and Crystal were discussing what Kiba should do.

(Crystal) "Ya both should wait by the cave. If the villagers see that ya guys joined me, than there would probably be a lot more people after us."

(Kiba) "Cant I just tell the villagers why you guys are stealing? Its not like ya promised him that ya wouldn't tell the villagers on him, right?"

(Crystal) "…Yeah, about that."

(Kiba) "You didn't."

(Crystal) "He threatened to burn down this forest!"

(Kiba) "Can't you just break this promise?"

(Crystal) "No. No matter what the promise is I can't break it."

(Kiba) "But you told me about him. How is that different?"

(Crystal) "He said not to tell the villagers. Ya aren't part of this village, so therefore ya can know. Look, just stay out of sight, and wait until we're done stealing. Once done, we'll go back to dip stick and see what his 'special surprise' is."

(Kiba) "Ugh, fine."

Once they arrived at the village, Kiba & Akamaru went to hide in a high tree. They watched as Crystal & Nasha were dodging the attacks and taking items as they passed each stand. Arf, arf, arf _'What do you think dip stick meant by special surprise?'_

"I don't know. Extra whipping, maybe. Oh, but maybe he'll actually do something somewhat nice and give them some food. I guess we'll just have to wait and find out." Kiba returned his gaze to watching Crystal. "But I do know that it can't be good."

**TIMESKIP 49 min.**

Kiba and Akamaru were once again hidden in the tree at dip stick's cave. Crystal & Nasha were bowing at the entrance, their bag filled with the requested items. The 2 girls were nervous. Dip stick had never given them a 'special surprise' before. Dip stick came out, but with an item with a bag over it. "Ah, my two little slaves. I take it that there weren't any distractions this time?"

"Yes, sir. Nothing kept us from coming."

"Very good. Now, for my little surprise. Girl, stand up now."

Crystal stood. "What is it, sir?"

"Step forward a few steps. Good, now I want you to take this," Dip stick revealed his item to be a big dagger. "I want you to keep this." He handed her the item. "I want you to also use it for one little thing."

"What is that, sir?"

In a flash, dip stick used his lasso to tie up Nasha, "I want you to kill your most greatest friend."


	13. Not In A Million Years!

Not In A Million Years!

Crystal looked at dip stick blankly, her hands were trembling and she was trying not to drop the dagger. "W-What, sir?"

"You heard me, twit. Over the years, that mutt has been messing everything up. You have been lying about it always being your fault. It is time that the creature be punished for all the things she should have been punished for."

"B-but I-I do g-great with Nasha in f-fights. I-If I kill h-her than y-your supply d-demands w-will decrease."

"Its better for the food and jewels to come sooner than barely. Kill her, now! Or else this forest will be ashes in less than 3 hours."

Crystal looked at the dagger and then at Nasha. She slowly walked to the trembling wolf. Kiba was staring in shock. _'There is no way she is going through with this!'_ Crystal closed her eyes and raised the dagger. Suddenly, she opened them and cut the ropes. "Go to the cave, now!" Nasha looked at her stunned, "I said now!" She hesitated, but then ran away.

"Brat! What is the meaning of this?"

Crystal turned around, anger in her eyes. She lunged the dagger at dip stick and responded bitterly, "Go away! NOW!"

"Why in the world would I do that?" Dip stick was angry at her for commanding him to leave, but Kiba knew that she was talking about him and Akamaru. He whispered quietly to Akamaru to go to the cave and that he would be there in a sec. When Akamaru left, Kiba returned his eyes to Crystal and dip stick. Dip stick cursed at Crystal, "You little piece of shit! Do you even know that I can burn down 5 other forests just because your too stubborn to kill a mutt!"

"I promised Nasha that I would never hurt her! Even if ya threaten to burn down 15 forests I still wouldn't hurt her!" Dip stick punched her and while she trying to pick herself off from the ground, he took his short whip out and was about to strike her when Kiba swooped in and tackled him.

"Don't ya even dare try to!" Kiba ran to Crystal and helped her up, "You alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Kiba."

Dip stick's face flushed red with anger. "Who is this!"

"A friend." Kiba blushed at Crystal's reply.

"More like boyfriend (Kiba & Crystal blushed). Since I am a somewhat respectful fighter, how about you and I make a little date for our fight. In two hours I will be near the cliffs on the bottom of the west canyon side. If you truly wish for this forest to not be burned to the ground, including your pet, yourself and your boyfriend, then you better come. Both of you!"

"Very well. And he isn't my boyfriend."

"Like I care. After all, how can anyone like a weak little brat like you. Now both of you get out of my sight. Keep the dagger. It wont have any affect on my whips any way." He stepped back into his cave.

"Come on, Crystal. We should go back to your cave and get you healed a little bit for the fight."

Once back at the cave, Nasha had Crystal healed up in sec. Crystal and Kiba explained to them what happened and when and where to fight dip stick. Nasha stunned when Crystal told her what she told dip stick. "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course Nasha. I promised to never hurt ya and I always keep my promises. Now we have to think of a plan. We have to get ready for the fight."

"Crystal, is it safe to go down to the actual area? Will it collapse or something?"

"The rocks at the bottom are secured. There's moss all around the rocks and keeps them like that. If the moss is gone, then there would probably be a little rock slide, just a little one."

Arf, arf? _'So if the moss is, oh I don't know, burned away, then the rocks will fall?'_

Nasha nodded, "Just the rocks that the moss cover. Why? You have an idea?"

Woof, woof, woof. _'Yep! If dip stick is right under the rocks and uses his fire whip, then the rocks will fall!'_

Kiba chuckled, "Good idea, buddy. And with the injuries that we all put on him, plus the bruises and cuts from the rocks, he'll be knocked out long enough to go tell the villagers, and Lady Tsunade."

"Hopefully, the villagers will believe us."

Crystal rubbed Nasha's head, "We should show them the dagger, some jewels, and the whips that he uses as evidence. Let's just hope that nothing wrong happens."

"Do ya guys know the way in the cave that dip stick lives in?"

"Honestly, no. We'll have to wing it from there. We should probably lie down for a little. We'll need our energy if we are to win."


	14. One Might Not Survive…

One Might Not Survive…

Crystal, Nasha, Kiba, and Akamaru all arrived at the canyon side. They all were ready for what was about to happen. They went stiff as they heard a loud, sinister laugh. "So you all did decide to show up. Very stupid." Dip stick showed himself, his long whip in his hand.

"What made ya think that we weren't going to show? None of us are scared of ya at all."

"You should be the one scared of us. We will beat ya and then Crystal's and Nasha's names will be cleared."

Dip stick laughed again, "Do all of you little brats think that the villagers will believe you? Even if you do somehow beat me, they will still call you two twits thieves."

"Yes, we stole, which makes us thieves. But it was to make sure this forest had nothing done to it. They will understand."

Dip stick smirked, "Lets just see if any of you are able to survive." He swung his whip at Crystal & Nasha, but the two of them dodged just in time.

"I don't think so. Nasha, run!" Nasha jumped over dip stick and Crystal started to run to the left, Nasha to the right.

"Come on Akamaru." Akamaru jumped off of Kiba's head and Kiba got out his kunai. Dust was starting to cover Crystal, Nasha, and dip stick. Dip stick cracked his whip and it grabbed onto Nasha's leg. Akamaru was one step ahead and bit it off just in time. Next, dip stick cracked his whip towards Crystal. It grabbed her arm and leg but Kiba was able to use his kunai to cut it. The plan was working perfectly. Crystal & Nasha stopped running and they, along with Kiba & Akamaru, ran into the dust cloud. They all rammed directly into dip stick. When the dust cleared up, dip stick was panting just a little, but looked unaffected by the attack. Although, he was a little closer to a small dent with rocks covered with moss.

"Did you idiots actually think that that attack was strong?"

"Seeing as to how ya are slouching and panting, yes." Crystal raised her hands and they were growing longer and were becoming metal. Kiba got out his shuriken (the little star things) and they both aimed and fired at dip stick. The cruel man dodged them and the weapons only grazed his shoulder. The weapons did, however, loosen some of the moss.

Nasha ran and jumped up on Crystal's shoulder. Crystal told Kiba that Wolf's Song would only affect those that she or Nasha wanted to be affected. But just to be safe, he and Akamaru stepped back a little and covered their ears. Crystal & Nasha both took big breaths and howled. Dip stick covered his ears and took a step back. The rocks behind him started to rumble and the moss on them loosened a bit more. While he was distracted, Kiba ran at him and, with a kunai in his hand, kicked dip stick in the back while striking the moss with the kunai. Akamaru bit dip stick and used his claws to strike the moss, too. When dip stick turned to punch at them both, the two ninjas dodged by jumping backwards and using the rocks as a way to jump away. They both landed next to Crystal & Nasha.

Dip stick gave them all a death glare. His glare turned into a creepy smirk as he pressed the 'fire-on' button of his whip. "Clearly, none of you twerps know how dangerous fire can be." He grabbed a large rock behind him, which Crystal, Kiba, Nasha and Akamaru didn't see happen. He cracked his whip towards the group and they all scattered in opposite directions. He aimed the large rock in Crystal's direction, but his gaze went to the left. Unfortunately, Crystal didn't see him change his gaze and thought that he was going to throw the rock at her.

Dip stick threw the rock, but it went to the left and directly hit the one there. They were thrown hard against a canyon wall. They tried to stand up, but winced and fell to the ground.

Crystal stared in horror, "NASHA!"


	15. Patches On Her Skin

Patches On Her Skin

Crystal ran over to Nasha and looked over her injuries. Dip stick was about to strike her but Kiba threw a rock at him, which made Dip stick swing his fire whip at the moss behind him. Kiba saw the moss loosen a lot more and smirked, _'Almost there.'_ He looked over at Crystal and saw her stand up slowly. She was trembling a bit and she turned around, anger clear in her eyes.

"Ya. Hurt. NASHA!" Kiba saw little bright patches forming on her skin. His eyes went wide and he quietly gasped, _'Her chakra!'_

Dip stick smirked, "Hopefully I hit her hard enough to kill her. But don't worry, you, your boyfriend, and his mutt are next."

Crystal ground her teeth. The patches on her skin became larger but she clenched her fists tightly and they quickly disappeared. Kiba stepped forward but Crystal held her arm up and looked at him. Her arm gesture said that it was her fight, but her facial expression said that he had to wait for a signal. He nodded and ran over the Nasha to protect her in case dip stick tried anything.

Crystal ran at dip stick with her bow in her hand. She swung it at his head and he swung his fire whip at her. She dodged it and was able to hit him. She jumped right in front of him and taunted him, "Wow, I cant believe that I actually thought that ya were strong. Guess I was wrong." He swung at her again, but she jumped behind him. She grabbed a rock and threw it as the hand that was holding the whip. It hit his hand and he dropped his fire whip. The whip's fire turned off and Crystal grabbed it and used the dagger that dip stick gave her to cut it into tiny pieces. "I guess the dagger did have an effect in this fight." She jumped him and kicked him where the **SUN-DON'T SHINE**!. Dip stick froze and fell on his knees. Crystal turned to Kiba and nodded. "NOW!"

"Don't have to tell me!" He, along with Akamaru, ran into dip stick, which caused the man to hit the rocks covered with moss. The moss finally came off and they all rained down on dip stick. Crystal was about to be hit by the rocks too, but Kiba grabbed her wrist and got her away in time.

Once the rocks stopped falling, dip stick was completely covered. Crystal's eyes scanned the clump of rocks, "He isn't dead, I can tell." Her head snapped around at Nasha and she ran to collect her. With Nasha in her arms, she looked at Kiba with pleading eyes, "We can worry about dip stick later. We have to get Nasha to a river!"

"Well then lets go!"

Crystal whispered to the unconscious Nasha, "Don't worry, Nasha. Your going to be just fine."

When they all arrived at the river, Crystal layed Nasha down on the grass. She scrambled to put her crystal in the water. She accidently dropped it but Akamaru grabbed it with his mouth and handed it back to her. She thanked him and turned her attention back to Nasha. She rubbed the crystal all around Nasha. When she was done, she sat up and her eyes were a little wet. Nasha started to twitch and she slowly woke up. She looked around her surroundings and at Kiba, Akamaru, and finally Crystal. "C-Crystal? Did we win?"

Crystal squealed and hugged Nasha very tightly. "We did Nasha. But I'm even more glad that your fine than winning."

"Crystal. Can't. BREATHE!"

"Oops." She let go of her. "Sorry."

Kiba walked up to both of them, "This is a sweet moment and all, but dip stick wont be unconscious forever. We have to tell the villagers."

Crystal stood up. "Alright. Come on. I took the whip pieces as more evidence. Hopefully they'll believe us."


	16. Just A Bit Nervous

Just A Bit Nervous

Kiba, Akamaru, Crystal, and Nasha were near the village's wall. They were planning on how the whole truth was to come out.

Kiba: "Can't you just go in with us and tell them?"

Crystal: "I told ya before that I promised dip stick that I would't say anything to the villagers. I promised a complete jerk, but it's still a promise and I keep all my promises."

Ruff, ruff ruff _'Than can't Nasha come in with us?'_

Nasha: "No, they'll get suspicious. Just take the dagger and whip pieces, go to the leader of this village, and get everything sorted out. Make sure to emphasis the torture that dip stick did to us to make it more convincing."

Crystal: "This dagger isn't dip stick's, I can tell. It is made of pure obsidian and has pure gold markings on it. There ain't no way that dip stick _bought_ this. Plus, I never stole anything in the weapon category so it wasn't me."

Kiba: "Fine. We'll talk to the leader and see what happens."

Kiba, with Akamaru in his jacket, walked away from Crystal & Nasha and entered the small village. As he walked, he could tell that most of the villagers' eyes were staring at him, probably because he was so far the only person to go after Crystal & Nasha and comeback with injuries… or at least not unconscious. He arrived at town square where the leader was and he walked in to his office. The leader looked up and was shocked. "Your not in a coma?"

"Uh, no. There wasn't exactly that much trouble."

Arf, arf, arf _'Not much meaning a big shock.'_

The leader (I'm going to call him 'mayor'), mayor, got confused, "What did that dog say?"

"He said 'Not much meaning a big shock'. The girl and wolf have a big reason for why they were stealing stuff."

The mayor sat up quickly and slammed his hands on his desk, "_Reason!_ You are saying that those two thieves have a good reason fore stealing more than half of our food and jewels!"

"Yes. You see, the girl, Crystal, and the wolf, Nasha, were stealing to protect the forest. There is, or atleast was a man that threatened to burn the forest to ashes. They were only going under his orders. Whenever they arrived late to meet him, then he would whip Crystal several times, but that was just how much I have seen him do. He probably did longer."

The mayor groaned and sat back down, "How do I know that this is the truth? Even though you are a ninja, I cannot trust someone that I have just met."

"Here," Kiba handed him the dagger and whip pieces, "these pieces were of his whip. And this dagger-"

"Was Takeshi's!"

Kiba jumped back a bit from the sudden interruption. "How did you?"

"Takeshi was a big criminal in our village. Stealing, assaulting, and vandalizing. This dagger was what he stole from a very wealthy merchant that came into town one day, my uncle actually. Two police officers and I were able to track him down and catch him. He was put in jail but then he escaped and stole this dagger once more about…" His eyes went wide when it dawned on him, "A year and 5 months ago. Around the same time that-"

"That Crystal & Nasha started stealing."

The mayor jumped up and stood in front of Kiba, "Where is he? How did you get these items from him?"

Woof, woof! _'Kiba, Crystal, Nasha and I whooped his stinkin' butt!'_

Kiba chuckled a bit at the memory of Crystal kicking dip stick where the SUN DON'T SHINE! "He is under a pile of rocks near the west & east canyons. Akamaru and I help Crystal and Nasha get him.

"Where is the girl and wo… Crystal & Nasha… now?"

"They are near the walls. Would you like us to get them?"

"I will have to come with you and your dog. The villagers don't know of this yet so I will tell them as we walk."

As they were walking towards the walls the mayor told every villager and they, surprisingly, believed it due to the fact that many of them saw cuts and bruises on Crystal's body when she would steal. They also were happy to know that Takeshi was finally caught and that they could start using the mt. in which he used to live in as a trade route to help get more food and jewels. Everyone knew before Kiba & Akamaru reached the wall so the mayor went back to his office.

Crystal was shaking a bit while she walking to the mayor's office. Kiba was next to her and put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down, "Are ya nervous?"

"Me? Nervous? Kiba, I once fought 3 bears during the freezing cold, eh."

"You didn't answer my question though."

"…Just a bit nervous."

"Why? After all you did once fight 3 bears during the torturing days of winter." He chuckled as Crystal playfully, though kind of hard, punched his arm.

"Not funny. It's just, I don't know. I can't believe that I'm off the hook so easily. I would have expected the villagers to at least scowl at me each time I passed one."

Kiba looked around and saw that some of the villager's boy that were around their age were staring with interest at Crystal. He frowned and turn his attention back to Crystal. "Believe me, they aren't scowling you."

She looked around at the boys and blushed a light pink before quickly turning her gaze back to the office. "I like the idea of scowling better now."

Nasha (she's on Crystal's head) snickered, "I remember those same boys drooling over you whenever you came to steal."

"Why didn't ya say anything?"

"It was funny how they would faint each time you did a back handspring to get away from grabbing villagers."

"Thanks Nasha, that just helped me become even more nervous."

"Always there for you, buddy."

They arrived at the town center and they went inside to the mayor's office. When the mayor saw Crystal & Nasha, he told them to sit down and tell him everything that happened in their lives. Crystal told about when her mother was killed, her father giving her the scar and abandoning her, when she found Nasha, when they got the crystals, when dip stick came (he snickered at the part about calling Takeshi 'dip stick'), what happened while Kiba & Akamaru were with them, and when they beat up dip stick (he laughed a bit when she said that she kicked him where the SUN DON'T SHINE! I just love that word!). It took about half an hour to explain everything, but the mayor listened to every detail. When they were done explaining, Crystal looked at him with pleading eyes, "Please, I will do anything to pay off the dept. I know where dip stick's Mt. is and I can help getting the jewels back. I don't want to go to jail. PLEASE!"

"It is alright miss… I'm sorry but what is your last name?"

Kiba looked at Crystal. She was thinking but then looked guilty and finally embarrassed. "I don't really know. My mama never told me her maiden name and my dad never told me his."

"Are you sure that they never told you? Maybe you just don't remember."

She sighed, "I remember everything in my life, whether I want to or not. I remember me asking my mama what her maiden name was, but she told me that she didn't even know. My dad never told me because I never asked him."

"Very well, Crystal, I will think about what to do and talk with the villagers to see what they think should happen. In the mean time, I need the both of you kids to help me and a few officers get Takeshi while he is still unconscious. After that, Kiba, you must bring her to Lady Tsunade to discuss more of what is supposed to be done."

Both: "Alright."


	17. I Like Better

I Like Better

Kiba, Akamaru (in Kiba's jacket), Nasha (on Crystal's head), and Crystal arrived at the Leaf Village and were heading to the hokage's building. Crystal was nervous once again and Kiba was helping her calm down. "Would you relax? Lady Tsunade wont hurt you in anyway."

"Are you sure that she wont punish me too severely?"

"Of course. Don't you trust me?"

She looked at him and nodded, "Yeah. I do."

They arrived at the building and entered and went to the office. Kiba knocked on the door and Lady Tsunade's voice called out, "Come in." They entered and Lady Tsunade looked up, a bit surprised that the thieving girl and wolf weren't in handcuffs and were walking freely. "Kiba, I thought that-"

"There was a change of plans, I guess. This girl and wolf, Crystal & Nasha, have a very good reason for stealing and the villagers believed it and understood."

Tsunade looked at Crystal and studied her, "Very well. Crystal, please explain everything."

"There was a man, dip stick as Kiba and I call him but his real name is Takeshi, that came to me and Nasha when I was about 11 and he told us that if we didn't steal for him than he would burn the forest to ashes. I attacked him in hopes of beating him, but he used his whip to counterattack, and the impact made me hit a tree hardly. We had no choice but to comply."

"Is that how you got that scar?"

Crystal ran a hand over her scar. "No. I got this when I was 8 because my dad used his whip on me and abandoned me in the forest."

Tsunade's stare softened and she noticed red marks on her arms, "What are those cuts and marks on your arms?"

Crystal rolled up her sleeves, "Takeshi also had 2 whips- but he isnt my dad- and used them to whip me several times whenever I was late to bring him his items."

"Sit down, please. I want you to tell me everything that has happened in your life. Kiba, in the cabinet to your left are a few bandages and a first aid kit. Please give it to me."

Kiba got the kit and handed it to her. He sat down next to Crystal and listened to her story again. Even though he heard it before, he still couldn't believe anyone would want to get rid of her. _'She is just so… perfect.'_

While she and Nasha were explaining their lives, Tsunade was bandaging Crystal's arms. When she was done, so were Crystal and Nasha, Tsunade sat back down at her desk and asked them, including Kiba, to tell her everything that happened during the mission. While explaining everything, Kiba & Crystal blushed a couple times at certain parts like when Kiba called Crystal an angel, their faces, or should I say lips, were just 3.5 cm apart, and when they had the little romance scene as Nasha called it while sledding, but the biggest blush was when dip stick called Kiba Crystal's boyfriend. Nasha & Akamaru both exclaimed _'WHAT'_ when they said that both of their paws were on top of each others. Tsunade had to hold back laughs many times. About 50 min later the whole story was done and Tsunade asked Crystal a couple more things. "What are you and your friend planning on doing after all of this is sorted out?"

Crystal was silent for a moment and looked at Nasha making it look like they were having a silent agreement. "Nasha and I are going to travel a bit. We're more than happy to help the villagers a bit, but all in all we would like to travel."

Tsunade next question shocked everyone; "I am able to get rid of that scar for you. Would you like me to do that?"

Crystal's face was total shock. She lightly touched her scar and smiled, "No thank ya, Lady Tsunade. I want to keep it. I've had it for so long that I cant think of what I look like without a scar coming to mind. I've grown used to it. Thank ya for the offer, though."

Lady Tsunade couldn't help but smile at how kind Crystal's decline was, "Very well. For now, I would like you to stay in Aki for abit, 3 months the max, and see f there is anything for you to do to help. It they do not need help, or 3 months have gone by, than you are more than welcome to travel. Kiba, you technically didn't catch the thieves- Crystal and Nasha- as the mission said to, but you did help in a way so that they wont have to steal again so I will count it as successful. Please show Crystal & Nasha to the gates"

Kiba & Crystal smiled and thanked her. They left and headed towards the gates. Akamaru & Nasha were walking next to their own human (meaning Akamaru next to Kiba and Nasha next to Crystal). But they were walking slowly so they could talk more. "Where are you guys heading once 3 months are gone?"

"I still cant believe you guys didn't tell Akamaru or me that our paws were touching."

"Just let it go, wolf. I never had any intention of ya finding out so let it be, eh. Anyway, we were thinking of just walking around without any thought and once we find a place that we like, we'll stay there for a bit and see what there would be to do."

"Why don't ya guys stay here? I could help you get to know the place, and plus your already here!"

"Sorry, Kiba. I just want to travel a little farther away. As much as it seems like a good idea, I just don't see me living here right now."

"HEY KIBA!"

Kiba looked back and saw Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji approaching. "Hey guys."

Crystal: "Kiba, who are these guys?"

Kiba: "The loud blonde that just yell 'hey Kiba' is Naruto, the ponytailed one is Shikamaru, and the one with the scarf is Choji. Guys, this is Crystal and her wolf Nasha. Ya know, the ones I was supposed to catch."

Shika: "Shouldn't she be more captured than free than?"

Crystal giggled a bit and shook her head, "Ya would think that someone called thief hundreds of times would be but its been all sorted out."

Choji: "How exactly?"

Kiba: "There was a guy that threatened them to steal. If they didn't then he would burn the forest to ashes."

Crystal: "But Kiba, Akamaru, Nasha, and I totally kicked dip stick's butt."

Naruto: "HaHa! Dip stick? Was that really his name?"

Nasha: "No, more like alias."

Naruto jumped back a bit and looked down, "Woah! Did that wolf just talk?"

Crystal: "Yep. The crystal she wears allows her to.

Shika: "Excuse me for asking, but how did you get that scar?"

Crystal scratched the back of her head, "If I had a nickel… Anyway my oh so loving dad gave it to me before he officially abandoned me."

Choji: "Why would he do that? You don't seem bad. Not bad at all."

Crystal: "Long story, but to cut it short, he blamed me for my mama being killed a year before when I was 7."

Shika: "Why would she be killed?"

Kiba couldn't tell why but he was getting annoyed that they were staring at Crystal and practically interrogating her, "Because of her chakra power. And before you ask any more questions, no she cant tell you what it is. She promised her mom that she would never tell what it is and never use it."

Crystal: "Thanks for shortening the talking for me Kiba, but I can answer for myself next time. Yeah, I promised my mama and I never break my promises so don't even ask."

Naruto: "Next time? Does that mean your staying here? Than maybe you can eat some ramen with me sometime if you want."

Kiba (thought): _'Is he flirting with her? I found her first…Wait, did I just think that?'_

Crystal: "Sorry to upset ya Naruto, but I aint staying here. Nasha and I are going to be traveling around a bit."

Naruto: "Oh. Well, that's okay because than I wouldn't have to share ramen!"

Crystal: "_Giggle_ I can tell that ya like ramen."

Shika: "You have no idea. Anyway, it is such a drag that you aren't staying. We did just meet, but I would have like to get to know you better." He smiled.

Kiba got the urge to punch Shikamaru. He kept debating with himself about why he would, though.

Crystal: "Thanks, Shikamaru. That's very sweet of ya. This is the gate, right?"

Kiba snapped out of his self- argument and nodded, "Yep, hope you find a place ya like, Crystal."

Crystal smiled, "I'm sure that I'll find a place." She looked down at Nasha and Nasha nodded. "Though, there is one more thing that Nasha and I would like to do before we leave."

Kiba: "What?"

Crystal faced Kiba and hugged him with her head on his shoulder. Kiba froze but then looked down to see Nasha nuzzle Akamaru and that Akamaru's leg was shaking. He looked at Shika, Naruto, and Choji to see them all gaping. He smirked and looked back at Crystal. She came out of the hug and looked into his eyes. "Thank ya. For everything."

Kiba nervously chuckled a little and scratched the back of his head, "N-No prob!" Next thing he knew Crystal kissed his cheek and stayed there for about 2 sec. She pulled back to see Kiba frozen and bright red. He snapped out of it and they both looked down to see Nasha lick Akamaru's cheek. His leg was shaking fast and he toppled over (like when Thumper fell over at the end of Bambi). Crystal giggled and looked back to Kiba. She said in a soft and seductive voice, "I love the idea of seeing ya again later on in life."

Kiba smiled and said in an equally soft way, "Yeah. I love the idea, too."

She looked back at Nasha, "Come on Nasha. It's time to go." Nasha walked back to Crystal and they both started walking out the gate. Crystal looked back and waved a bit. Kiba returned the wave.

When she was gone from sight, Akamaru was on his feet again though abit wobbly and Kiba looked back at the still gaping Naruto, Shika, and Choji. He smirked and started his bragging, "I would just love the idea of seeing her again. I could help her again with a bigger problem and maybe she would be so thankful that she would actually kiss me on the lips."

Naruto snapped out first and remembered, "You said that if she tripped than you both could accidently kiss. Did she?" Shika and Choji returned to planet earth and listened intently.

Kiba: "She did trip but unfortunately she didn't fall all the way. But, a kiss on the cheek on purpose is something that I like better. Oh, and don't try to flirt with her. She is too smart for the likes of you, Naruto."

Shika smirked, "If she's too smart, than she's better suited for me."

Kiba: "But were you the one to help her? Or were you the one that she kissed on the cheek? I don't think so. Besides, she has a canine as a partner like me, therefore better suited for me."

Choji: "Are you guys forgetting that she's gone? Even if you guys meet again, she would probably have a new life."

Kiba: "Only time will tell. But remember, she is mine."

BARK! _'PLEASE TIME LET ME SEE NASHA AGAIN!'_


End file.
